Latest update from Inspector Chris Pearson on policing activities in the Borough of Gedling

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Inspector Chris Pearson leads the Gedling Neighborhood Policing Team which helps tackle crime in the borough.

Here is his latest update on the progress his team has made over the past few weeks…

New recruits

I would like to welcome three new community support officers from the police in the Borough of Gedling who joined the team in December.

PCSOs Declan Towl, Rachael Bell and Ethan Bentley have completed their initial training and are now on the pitch working with their teams. They will soon be assigned to beating areas within Gedling and I wish them the best of luck in their new roles.

It’s always good to see new officers joining the team and of course that means we can continue to increase our efforts in the fight against crime and anti-social behaviour.

Policing priorities

I met colleagues from Gedling Borough Council this week to discuss policing priorities for the borough. We agreed that the next quarter would focus on drug supply, antisocial behavior and shoplifting.

We have unfortunately seen a real increase in thefts from stores, particularly in the Gedling South area, with thieves targeting Victoria Retail Park and Carlton Hill.

Sgt O’Connor and the Carlton team have led specific days of action on this, supported by the Operation Reacher team, but we will now work closely with our partners to resolve the issue at over the next three months.

In terms of anti-social behaviour, we agreed to focus on Arnold following an increase in alcohol use disorder and Netherfield which would include work around anti-social use of vehicles following feedback from the local community.

anti-social behavior

Over the past month, we have continued to focus on antisocial behavior.

Over the Christmas period, officers made a number of visits to licensed premises in the borough of Gedling to deter alcohol-related disorder. I joined them on the evening of December 18 and toured a number of premises with a licensing police officer.

I am happy to report that there were only a small number of issues over the Christmas and New Year period and we are now following them up with our colleagues at Gedling Borough Council.

Drug supply

The past month has been a particularly busy one for teams in the Borough of Gedling and officers have been on the road to execute a number of drug warrants in the area.

We have executed warrants under the Misuse of Drugs Act on Bond Street, Arnold and Garnet Street, Netherfield with controlled drugs and cell phones seized.

Following this, we acted on concerns about a possible cannabis cultivation on Digby Avenue, Mapperley. On Christmas Eve, we collected 167 plants from the address and arrested two males. Following a great team effort, we secured charges around one of the men while the other is being investigated.

Cannabis cultivation has a substantial impact on the community presenting a fire hazard and is often linked to serious violence and knife crimes. We simply will not tolerate drug supply in our communities and as we move forward this year the team will act on other drug supply concerns.

Residential burglary

In early December we saw an increase in burglaries in our villages with properties targeted at Burton Joyce and Gedling Village.

We immediately increased patrols in the affected areas and officers spent time reviewing CCTV footage as part of the investigation. I am happy to report that a 46 year old man has since been arrested and charged with one of the burglaries on Church Road in Burton Joyce. He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Nottingham Crown Court. I would just like to pass on my thanks to everyone who took part in the survey and it is a great result for the region.

Following this and with the approach of Christmas, we carried out patrols in our villages in an attempt to deter lawbreakers using both the Neighborhood Police and Operation Reacher teams.

This week we received a report of a burglary in Gedling with a targeted property overnight on Bayliss Road, Gedling. We have also received a report of a suspicious man in a garden on Rutland Road, Gedling. We have increased patrols in the area overnight, but please remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us.

We have also received reports of a number of targeted sheds on Robin Hood, Cavendish Road, Carlton housing estates. The Neighborhood Police team is investigating and working with property owners to review CCTV footage.

A garage was also targeted on Mansfield Road, Woodthorpe in late December with stolen bikes.

Operation Reacher

I wanted to provide an update regarding the Op Reacher team which has now been part of the Borough of Gedling for two years.

It’s hard to believe the team have been here for two years already and despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, they have achieved a number of great results for the region.

A number of cases are now being finalized and I look forward to seeing the sentences that will be handed down in court.

Sgt Sisson and the team worked closely with neighborhood policing colleagues to address local community concerns. Some of this work focused on the supply of controlled drugs, but the team also focused on burglary, knife crime, speeding and road safety. Along with this, the team often leads the way in hunting down those who don’t show up at court.

Over the past two years, the Reacher team has:

• Execution of 68 first instance court warrants
• Arrested or interrogated 304 suspects
• Seizure of 91 vehicles and issuance of 201 traffic offense reports
• 183 drug seizures and 96 weapons seized
• Seizure of £279,000 in suspected criminal money

Clearly a huge amount of work, so I would just like to pass on my thanks to the Op Reacher team and the Neighborhood Policing team for the hard work that has gone into achieving these results.

Speeding

We continue to receive concerns about speeding in the Borough of Gedling.

Recently the Gedling South team carried out speed control work on Vale Road, Colwick, the A612 Burton Joyce and Southdale Road, Carlton. During the afternoon, 25 motorists were warned of their speed and 6 other drivers received a traffic violation report for exceeding the speed limit.

The team will be doing more enforcement work as part of a neighborhood policing action week that begins Monday, January 17, 2022.

Let’s move on…

Finally, this will be my final update as Neighborhood Police Inspector for the Borough of Gedling as I move into town next week as temporary Chief Inspector.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been stationed in Gedling for 3 years now and it’s been a real pleasure leading the neighborhood police and Operation Reacher teams in the borough of Gedling.

I want to thank all Sergeants, PCs and PCSOs for their hard work and I will miss working with them.

I have also enjoyed working with our partners at Gedling Borough Council, our parish councils and of course our local communities to tackle key issues such as knife crime and violence.

I leave Gedling with all recorded crime 10% lower than it was in 2019-20 pre-pandemic and victim-based crime also 13% lower. I know the global pandemic has had an impact on reported crimes, but it is also due to the hard work of all Gedling officers and partners.

Inspector Chris Jury will take over the reins of Gedling from Monday 17 January and I wish him well in his new role.

Thank you for reading my update over the past three years and take care.

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